


Baltimore

by olddarkmachine



Category: One Direction (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-13 12:12:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olddarkmachine/pseuds/olddarkmachine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Go Radio's "Baltimore"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baltimore

_So let’s get carried away  
_ _Not lose ourselves in the fight  
_ _Let’s show the world we were right  
_ _That we can make it through  
_ _And I may be leading the way  
_ _But you will always be my light  
_ _And I will always love you_

As he looked out the window over the city that was still alive with bright lights and people getting from one place to another, Harry couldn’t help but miss the fact that here, he couldn’t see the stars. Sure, it was New York City, and he would never take the life he had for granted, but tonight was one of those nights where he just needed to step outside and breathe. Look up at the night sky and see the millions of twinkling lights shining down on him, and just let it all sink in that he and the four people he was closest to had just played a sold out show in the most famous venue in the world. He knew he should feel happy. Hell, he was happy. He was one of the luckiest guys on the planet, and he knew that. So why wasn’t he laughing and smiling the kind of smile that leaves his cheeks burning? 

Oh yeah, because he was in this hotel room and not spending it with the people he wished to share it with most. The iPod dock continued to play a shuffle of his music, loudly filling the silence that lay stagnant over the otherwise empty room. As his jade gaze stayed trained up at the sky, inspecting the usually inky black space as he tried to pinpoint the exact shade of purples the city lights had turned it. As the sound of piano tinkled from the speakers, he closed his eyes tightly, watching as the stars danced around his vision. At least he could see them that way. Taking a deep, settling breath, he curled his fingers into a fist, trying to shake the odd feeling of having laced them with someone’s that were so unfamiliar to him. 

It had been a long time coming, really. He knew that it was going to. The stories had started to be released to the public for awhile now, and he knew one day he’d have to act on them. But that didn’t make it any easier to wrap his hand around her’s while the hand he really longed to hold was just a few feet away. They’d made their appearance at the party, just as they’d said they would, but they didn’t stay long, quickly sneaking away and going their separate ways. Of course, they hadn’t snuck away quick enough for him to miss the flash of pain that flashed in the bright blue eyes that he loved so much. 

A sharp knock on the door disturbed his thoughts, causing his eyes to shoot open. Glancing at the clock, his eyebrows furrowed as he saw that it was just past one. He hadn’t been expecting anybody, especially not any of the boys. The party had just started a couple hours previously and he knew better than anyone that they wouldn’t be done with it by now. And he didn’t have anywhere to be until much later. As he considered just leaving it be and pretending to be asleep, the knocking sounded again, more urgent and insistent the second time around. With one last glance over the city, he turned from the large window, switched off the music and headed toward the door. Quickly turning the lock and throwing the door open, the air was knocked out of him as something, or rather someone, barreled into him, wrapping their arms around his waist and burying their face into his chest. Looking down, he saw the top of that brown feathered hair that he loved so much. 

“I think he may have had a bit much to drink,” Paul’s deep voice dragged Harry’s attention up toward their manager, who was standing in the hall with a glassy eyed Liam. A high giggle escaped the brown eyed boy’s lips as if Paul had just told the best joke ever.

“No, silly, he’s Robin, Robin can’t have too much to drink,” he said matter of factly as he slapped the bigger man’s shoulder.

“Right you are, Batman,” Louis said loudly, face still pressed into the front of Harry’s Ramones shirt. The heat of the older boy’s breath warmed the spot just over his heart and Harry felt his cheeks start to pink.

“Actually, I think they both may have had too much to drink,” Paul rectified, shaking his head at Liam as he grabbed him before he could head down the hall without him. “Do you have him?” He asked, nodding towards the boy who was pressed close to him.

“Of course I do, Paul,” he chuckled, shooting him a faux-glare. “It wouldn’t be the first time I had to get him tucked into bed,” he added, quieter this time as he glanced down at Louis. The older man grunted loudly in acknowledgement before shooing Liam towards the room at the end of the hall.

“C’mon, Batman,” Harry heard Paul say as they walked. “Even superheroes can’t escape the inevitable hangover.” Laughing to himself, Harry shut the door, careful not to jostle the boy still wrapped around him. 

“I missed you, Haz,” was all he said, not bothering to look up or move, just squeezing his torso tighter.

“I missed you too, babe,” he replied, pressing his face into Louis’ hair and breathing him in. The scent of his cologne was mixed with smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke and on anyone else it would result in a nice, long shower but on Louis, well, it smelled like a night that could very well get him in trouble. “But you smell like a bottle of tequila,” he laughed as he pulled away. 

“Shhhh,” the older boy shushed, blearily reaching out for Harry again, stumbling slightly and catching himself on the wall as the younger boy grabbed his arm. “Tequila makes your clothes fall off,” he said brightly, smiling up at him. 

“Not today, love. Today, tequila brushes your teeth and then gets you into bed.”

“Just like I like it,” Louis slurred, eyebrows dancing suggestively as he eyed the curly haired boy with a look of drunken lust. Not even bothering to respond, Harry ushered the boy into the bathroom, where he lifted him up and sat him on the table. As he reached for the bright blue toothbrush, he felt fingers start to tug on his curls. “Do you not like me anymore?” Louis asked, voice child like as he continued to play with his hair. His heart squeezed as he turned his attention from the toothbrush and to his blue eyed boy sitting next to him, watching him intently. As the held each other’s gazes, the heat in the room started to rise as an electric spark erupted between them. Louis opened his mouth again as if to re-ask the question that had made him feel like he’d been punched in the chest. 

“Hazza, do you-” he didn’t finish as Harry crashed their lips together, ignoring the fact that he still clutched the toothbrush in his hand. Moving so he stood between the Louis’, he hooked a finger through a belt loop on either side of his jeans, pulling the boy closer to him as he deepened the kiss. All he could taste was the sharp tang of alcohol that still clung to Louis’ breath as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and bit it gently. He always loved the small mewl it caused, and in this drunken state, it sounded downright obscene as Louis’ fingers twisted into his curls to pull him impossibly closer. The kiss started to become frantic as Harry tried to convey everything he felt, knowing that words could never do it justice. Soon, the world started to spin as he pulled away, resting his forehead against the drunk boy’s as he protested.

“Now will you brush your teeth?” He asked, smiling as he let his eyes grow big in a rather spectacular impersonation of a puppy. Sighing in defeat, Louis pulled back and reached his hand out for the toothbrush. “Good boy.” Harry laughed, uncapping their toothpaste and squeezing a gob of it onto the brush’s bristles before handing it over. 

“‘S only cause you’re such a good snog, Styles,” he mumbled around the brush and foam. Winking mischievously, Harry waited until Louis was done, which seemed to take much longer than usual as he brushed obnoxiously slow. “Good enough?” Louis asked cheekily as he bared his teeth.

“Much better. Now let’s get you into bed, babe.” Helping him hop down from the counter, Harry led the inebriated lad through the darkened room and towards the bed. Pulling back the covers, he let the Louis climb into the plush bed before he pulled them back up around his chest. He yawned loudly as he snuggled into the covers, eyes drooping shut as the warmth of the bed enveloped him. “Goodnight, Lou,” Harry whispered, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. Turning to leave, unsure of exactly what he could do as there was still a fair amount of time before he needed to leave, he felt fingers brush against his skin.

“Don’t go.” Louis’ voice was small as he grabbed blindly for Harry’s hand, finding his pants leg instead. “Please stay.” Sighing lowly, he untwisted the fingers from the material at his hip, caressing the back of Louis’ hand before brushing a light kiss over the knuckles. 

“I want to, babe, trust me, I do, but I can’t,” he whispered, not missing the shudder that ran through the drunk boy’s body as his words ghosted over the skin of his hand. 

“You can,” he replied, eyes still shut and face still half hidden by the plush hotel pillow. “Please?” Maybe if his voice hadn’t cracked, Harry would have been able to say no. (This was a lie, of course. He never could deny Louis anything, but it was the thought that counted.) With a quick check of the time, he let go of his boy’s hand before walking around the edge of the bed where he pulled the covers back and slowly climbed in.

“I guess I can stay for a little while,” he breathed into the skin just below Louis’ ear. As he protectively wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, he felt the warmth start to course through his veins as their bodies pressed together. This was where he should have been all night.

“Good,” came the soft reply, and Harry could swear he heard the victorious smirk in it as Louis settled further into the sheets. As they laid there in the dark room to the soundtrack of nothing but their own breathing, the younger boy nuzzled his face into the crook of Louis’ neck, enjoying the feel of his warm skin against his cheek. Fingers fluttered across the skin of his arm as they searched for his hand, finally finding it. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the touch, which was the touch he’d been craving since they’d left the venue. Maybe they couldn’t be like this in public, but he’d gladly give up the outside world to stay this way forever. 

“I love you,” he heard Louis mutter into the darkness, causing his heart to squeeze again. 

“And I will always love you,” he said, voice heavy with truth. He’d never meant anything more in life, in fact. The hand around his tightened its hold as they laid there together, hearts beating in tandem.

Slowly, the time passed and he felt the blue eyed boy’s breathing even out, becoming deeper with sleep as he dropped off. The hold on his hand started to slacken and finally fell away as Louis reached up for the comforter and pulled it up closer to his chin. As gently as possible as to not disturb him, Harry pulled himself away from the sleeping boy that held his heart and slipped out from underneath the sheets. The time on the alarm clock burned brightly as he saw the time, feeling his stomach drop as he realized that he really did have to leave now. Quietly, he walked back around the bed, smiling fondly as the bundled up ball of boy that lay before him. He wasn’t going to feel pleasant when he woke up, that Harry was certain of, but now he looked so peaceful and so young. He had looked like he’d been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders lately, but that all fell away with the rest of the world when he slept, leaving the Louis that Harry remembered meeting two years ago in the bathroom at The X Factor. They’d come so far in that amount of time, and he couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather have spent it with than the boy that lay before him now. Maybe it wasn’t always the best, and maybe sometimes it all seemed like too much, but moments like tonight when they achieved all they’d ever dreamed of together, it made it worth it. Made all that they’d had to put up with, worth it. 

With that in mind, he lightly brushed back the fringe from Louis’ forehead and dropped down to place a kiss to it. 

“Sleep tight, Boo,” he breathed. “It’s my turn to protect you.”


End file.
